'Game of Thrones' Just Became the Emmys' Most Nominated Primetime Series Ever

AWARDS BEAT

After sitting out last year’s Primetime Emmy Awards, HBO’s “Game of Thrones” has stormed back to land 22 nominations and claim the title of the most-nominated primetime series in Emmy history.

The new nominations bring the “Game of Thrones” total to 129, which beats the previous record for drama held by NBC’s long-running series “ER,” which debuted in 1994 and stayed on the air until 2009.

While “ER” was on the air for 15 seasons and received at least one Emmy nomination in every one of those seasons, “Game of Thrones” has broken its record in only seven seasons.

This year’s tally also pushed “Game of Thrones” past the 117 nominations received by “Cheers,” which holds the record for a comedy series.

Also Read: Emmy Nominations 2018 Announced (Updating Live)

The most nominated program of any kind is “Saturday Night Live,” which broke its own record this year and now has 252.

“Game of Thrones” received 13 nominations in 2011 for its first season, and 11 nominations in 2012 for Season 2. It then increased its number of nominations for each of the next three seasons, landing 16 in 2013, 19 in 2014 and 24 in 2015. Its total dropped by one in 2016 to 23, but that brought in within striking distance of the record held by “ER.”

Its nominations this year include an Outstanding Drama Series nod as well as acting nominations for Peter Dinklage, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Lena Headey and Diana Rigg. Dinklage is now the most nominated actor ever in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series category, with seven.

The series won the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series in 2015 and 2016, the last two years in which it was eligible. It wasn’t in the running last year because delays in the complicated production pushed the premiere date for Season 7 past the eligibility period. In its absence, “The Handmaid’s Tale” won the top drama-series Emmy.

The final season of “Game of Thrones” is now wrapping production in Europe. To date, HBO has not announced if it will air during the June 1, 2018-May 31, 2019 window for the 2019 Emmys, or whether it will have to skip another year of eligibility.

'Game of Thrones:' Did You Notice These Characters Were Recast? (Photos)

Now that Season 7 is over, we have a giant "Game of Thrones"-shaped void in our lives. To help ease the loss, here's some "GoT" trivia for you. Did you know there has been a preponderance of popular characters who have been recast over the span of the hit HBO series? Browse through to learn who they are.
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Ser Gregor Clegane

In Season 1, The Hound's older brother was played by Conan Stevens (left). When scheduling conflicts with his role as an Orc in "The Hobbit" arose, Stevens was replaced by Ian Whyte (center) for Season 2, who was playing a White Walker. Icelandic actor Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson (right) took over the part for the remaining seasons.
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Daario Naharis

One of Daenerys' love interests, the leader of the Second Sons, has been played by two actors. Ed Skrein (left), who played Daario in Season 3, told E! News in 2015 he left because of "politics." "It was a wonderful experience, but politics led to us parting ways," Skrein said at the time. Michiel Huisman (right) took over the role for Season 4 and beyond.
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Tommen Baratheon

The young Callum Wharry's (left) first acting role was that of Tommen Baratheon, son of Cersei and Jaime Lannister. He played Tommen in the first two seasons, but by Season 4, Dean Charles-Chapman (right) took over the character. Charles-Chapman previously played the part of Martyn Lannister, Tommen's cousin.
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The Three-Eyed Raven

For the very brief scene in which The Three-Eyed Raven is introduced in Season 4, the mystical character was played by British actor Struan Rodger (left). The role was taken over in Season 6 by Max von Sydow (right) for the meatier scenes in which he takes Bran through time.

Also Read: ‘Game of Thrones': Everyone Arya Stark Has Killed So Far (Photos)
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Myrcella Baratheon

Another one of Cersei and Jaime Lannister's children, Myrcella, was recast after a two-season hiatus. In Seasons 1 and 2, Aimee Richardson (left) played the (bastard) princess after being a stand-in. But after Myrcella was sent to Dorne, she didn't reappear until Season 5. Nell Tiger Free (right) then took over the role to play the older Myrcella.

Also Read: ‘Game of Thrones’ 101: A Timeline of Cersei and Jaime’s Complicated Relationship (Photos)
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The Night King

Richard Brake (left) played The Night King in Seasons 4 and 5, before the role was taken over by professional stunt performer Vladimir Furdik (right) from the episode "The Door" onward. In that episode, we see The Night King when he was still human, and the producers said they wanted to give the cold weather character a more distinctive look from the other White Walkers.

Also Read: Miss ‘Game of Thrones’? Here Are 8 Other Shows to Binge Until It Returns (Photos)
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From The Mountain to The Night King, these characters have been played by multiple actors

Now that Season 7 is over, we have a giant "Game of Thrones"-shaped void in our lives. To help ease the loss, here's some "GoT" trivia for you. Did you know there has been a preponderance of popular characters who have been recast over the span of the hit HBO series? Browse through to learn who they are.

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